ISSUE 04-17 July 21, 2017 N E W S L E T T E R SIA Heads into Pay Negotiations! By JENNY NICOLAY, SIA President Your SIA Board is always looking at every opportunity to negotiate something on your behalf. We ve never been content resting on our past achievements. With that in mind, your SIA Board felt the time was right to approach the Company about opening pay negotiations early. Please be aware that we are just in the preliminary stages of our discussions with the Company. As always, SIA listens to your feedback and welcomes your input. Anything submitted to SIA via our website (www.oursia.org > Home Page > Submit Your Pay Negotiation Ideas Here) will be added to our current Pay Negotiation Wish List and will be considered in this round of negotiations. SkyWest Dispatchers, Mechanics and Pilots have recently ratified contracts that included increases to pay scales and boosts to the Company 401k match. Some groups were able to negotiate a profit sharing program and/or an increase to their profit sharing payout. Therefore, SIA took the opportunity and has been successful in opening discussions with the Company more than 2 years prior to the expiration of our current contract. CQ Update: PARED Keep in mind, we are always looking for suggestions that will benefit the majority of our Flight Attendant Group. To stay informed, please continue to watch for our electronic newsletter, emails from SIA on SkyWest Online and updates on SIA s website, Flight Attendants Get Increases to Per Diem! Your SIA Board was savvy enough years ago to sign into policy a Me Too Clause that ensures that whenever the SkyWest Pilot Group receives a raise to Per Diem, the Flight Attendants will automatically receive this same increase. Per Diem increases per the recent Pilot Pay Package are as follows: Per Diem increase of.05 on Jan. 1, 2018 and Jan 1, 2020 Current Per Diem January 1, 2018 January 1, 2020 $1.90 $1.95 $2.00 1
In Recognition of 5 Years of Dedicated SIA Service- Thank You Jessica! To say that Jessica Stoker came into SIA like a tornado would be an understatement. Just 5 years ago as a brand new Flight Attendant, Jessica Stoker ran for and won the SIA Scheduling Representative position and in no time was quickly appointed to the SIA Secretary position. Jess served as the SIA Secretary for just over two years and was then appointed to the SIA Vice President position. Starting with her first SIA Board Meeting, Jess demonstrated a passion and drive to improve quality of life for our Flight Attendants. Many of Jess s accomplishments happened behind the scenes as she was always looking to improve processes and automation. Jess never hesitated to question when things were too vague or not user friendly for our Flight Attendants. To say she had our Flight Attendant s best interest at heart doesn t come close to illuminating how passionate Jess was in her position as SIA Vice President. SIA has changed for the better in many ways and those changes can be directly attributed to Jess s passion, innovation and creative thinking. Jess stepped down from SIA to pursue other interests effective July 1 st but leaves a very large set of shoes to fill. Thank you for your dedicated service to SIA and the SkyWest Flight Attendants Jess! Thank You Tamrin! As many of you know, PSP Flight Attendant, Tamrin Swearingen, was recently announced as the new PSP Domicile Supervisor. What many of you may not know is Tamrin has been serving as a SIA Subject Matter Expert (SME) and has been helping SIA with hotel inspections. With Tamrin s new position, she will no longer be a SIA SME. The entire SIA Board would like to thank Tamrin for the help and expertise she exhibited while selecting hotels for our crewmembers. Tamrin, we wish you the best in your new position and appreciate all you did for SIA and the SkyWest crewmembers! 2
House Safety Bill to include Flight Attendant Safety Priorities By MARIE WELCH, ASAP/Safety Rep Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee introduced the FAA Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 2997, the 21st Century AIRR Act) on June 22, 2017. Ten (10) hours minimum rest for Flight Attendants equal to the flight deck and a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) are included in the bill. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders include Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), along with Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA). They have all been champions on Flight Attendant rest. This bill is aimed at improving aviation safety for crew and passengers. Flight Attendants across the country have taken part in rallies and office visits on Capitol Hill. The most recent was the Rally for Rest at the US Capitol in Washington D.C, on March 16, 2016. There have been meetings at congressional district offices and tens of thousands of calls and letters written to their representatives in support of 10 hours minimum rest and an FRMP. The legislation requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to limit the number of hours flight attendants can remain on duty and to regulate minimum rest requirements. The Bill states that a domestic flight attendant can only work a maximum of 14 hours actual duty time with a minimum of at least 10 consecutive hours of rest after each duty period. All flight attendants will also receive at least a continuous one (1) hour rest break on any flight scheduled for eight (8) hours or more in a designated rest area. A Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) is for reporting instances of fatigue and taking steps to correct it. The FRMP also provides education for Flight Attendants to determine when they are fatigued and what steps can be taken to avoid it, in addition to proper rest. These important safety policies, 10 hours minimum rest and a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) for flight attendants, were included in the House reauthorization bill. The Senate version included a FRMP for flight attendants. Congress failed to include either in the FAA extension that was passed earlier this year. Other items included in the House FAA Reauthorization Bill: Ban on voice calls on planes Safe transport of lithium batteries Study on Cabin Evacuation Certification Requiring privacy for nursing in the airport Evaluation and update of emergency medical kit contents, with consideration for children Required notification of insecticide use 3
Smart Living By STEVE BARTELS, Hotels/Benefits Rep Consumers are spending more out of pocket and over the counter on medical, health and wellness products and services. According to a recent Accenture consumer survey, 78% of consumers would be interested in receiving 1) If a Flight Attendant has a flight cancel, they are required to call Crew Support (SP2317.24.A) 2) Probationary Flight Attendants must excuse all absences (refer to Probationary Flight Attendant Handout given in Initial New Hire training) 3) Part Time Flight Attendants may not fly more than 60 credit hours per month unless operationally necessary (SP2329 3.B) 4) A Reserve Flight Attendant s seniority is honored at the time a Ready Reserve assignment is given, not while on Ready Reserve assignment (SP2318 4.A.7.) 5) Full Time Flight Attendants receive $5 non-taxed per paycheck toward uniform maintenance (SP2327 2.A.) healthcare virtually some or most of the time and that includes researching and buying more healthcare goods and services online. Last year, I made reference to FSAStore.com which sells 4,000+ healthcare products consumers can purchase using their pretax flexible spending account or HSA dollars. Since then, the online healthcare industry has digitized rapidly and the customer is getting comfortable with going online for their healthcare needs by doing research on symptoms, buying products and generally getting more education about their options. Walgreen s digital healthcare program already includes many types of walkin services similar to what you would normally schedule at your primary doctor s office or urgent care center. They are even approaching a more specialized application such as enabling a consumer to see a dermatologist online (DermatologistOnCall) or offering chronic disease management that includes screenings and checkups. And don t forget possible savings on prescriptions such as online pharmacies like PillPack Inc. PillPack now operates in 49 states with a 24/7 pharmacy staff that can be contacted online or by phone. Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to help U.S. citizens traveling abroad. The service allows you to enter information about international trips so that the Department of State, through embassies and consulates, can better assist you in an emergency. In addition, you can also subscribe to receive mail updates about travel alerts concerning safety for a particular country. Consular officers can assist those who have serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties, provide names of local attorneys and doctors, and provide loans to destitute Americans. Go to step.state.gov for more info. 4
When in Doubt, Reach Out! By STACY HOLLOWAY, SIA Secretary As your SIA Secretary, I hear of all types of situations and problems Flight Attendants have gotten themselves into. Often the Flight Attendant is asked, Did you ask for help? or Did you reach out to your Chief Flight Attendant? or even Did you ask for an extension? Very often the response is, I didn t know help was available. Many times by the time SIA hears about a situation, it is often too late to do anything. So my fellow Flight Attendants, I am urging you to ask questions before you are in a bad situation or facing discipline. Don t just assume that something is taken care of, verify that it is complete. There are numerous situations where if you reach out in advance, you might find the assistance you need. So don t wait until it s too late. If in doubt, reach out. WWW.OURSIA.ORG Bidding 101 Bidding 101: We know it is time consuming and the material isn t exciting, but take some time to improve your bidding skills. Check the bid information from the PBS page on SWOL to see where you stand. If you are not a guaranteed lineholder, you will probably want to avoid bidding Waive Default Minimum as this works best for lineholders. Look over the PBS User s Guide and the PBS videos in the E-Library to have a better understanding of how the parameters work. The time you invest in maximizing your bid is worth it. For those of you who aren t high enough in seniority to get much of what you want, have patience your time will come! If you still have questions, please contact the PBS Helpline at 801-258-4541 or ext. 84541. Helpline hours are the 10 th thru 16 th, 9:00 am MT to 5:00 pm MT and for follow up questions from the 20 th thru 23 rd, 9:00 am MT to 5:00 pm MT. In Case of Cancellation I Have to WHAT? Did you know that if you have a flight cancel you are required to call Crew Support? Did you know that the Company can put you on cancellation reserve? I know you are probably thinking, But I m a lineholder, that can t be. Well, it s true. Anytime a flight is cancelled the Company can put you on cancellation reserve status which means they can use you during that cancellation. However, they have to give you a 2 hour call-out just as they give a regular reserve. Keep in mind that our policy is different than the pilot policy so be aware of that when you are discussing with your crew. Please review Flight Cancellation (SP2317 24.) at the following pathway in the Flight Attendant Policy Manual for all the specifics about a cancellation: SkyWest Online > Info Center > Documents > Manuals > Flight Attendant Policy Manual > SP2317 Scheduling > Scroll to #24. 5